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Arise legislative recap: Feb. 7, 2020
The Alabama Legislature's 2020 regular session has begun, and we're excited about the opportunities ahead to make life better for struggling Alabamians. Arise's Pres Harris explains why we need you with us at Legislative Day on Feb. 25. She also highlights some early progress on payday lending reform.
In the News
Training program gives job opportunities to food assistance clients
"Most people on SNAP who are of working age are already working, but probably not the kind of jobs you could get with a welding or machinist certificate," Arise's Carol Gundlach tells The Anniston Star. Read more from The Anniston Star.
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How Alabama can reform its criminal justice system to work for everyone
Alabamians deserve a justice system that sentences fairly, provides helpful rehabilitative services and keeps people safe during incarceration. But Alabama often falls catastrophically short of fulfilling those obligations. Our state’s prisons are violent and poorly staffed. As a result, they often function as little more than warehouses to keep people locked up until their sentences [...]
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Arise 2020: Our vision for a better Alabama
Alabama Arise members have worked for more than three decades to build a brighter, more inclusive future for our state. And as the Legislature’s 2020 regular session starts Tuesday, we’re proud to renew that commitment. Below, Arise executive director Robyn Hyden highlights some key goals for the session, including Medicaid expansion and untaxing groceries. How [...]
Blog
Medicaid block grants are a dangerous path toward coverage cuts
The federal Medicaid changes announced Thursday won’t affect anyone now enrolled in Alabama Medicaid. But they could put coverage at risk in the years ahead for hundreds of thousands of Alabamians. This is a worrisome step down a road to increased human suffering and greater financial strain for struggling families. Guidance from the Centers for [...]
In the News
Prison policy recommendations put major focus on recidivism
Alabama's lack of investment in mental health care and substance use disorder treatment is a huge factor in our state's prison overcrowding. "The biggest way to address it would be Medicaid expansion," Arise's Dev Wakeley tells WSFA 12 in Montgomery. Learn more from WSFA 12 News.
In the News
What could President Trump’s new Medicaid funding model mean for Alabama?
Instead of accepting a federal block grant, "Alabama's best option is to go for full Medicaid expansion," Arise's Jim Carnes tells ABC 33/40 in Birmingham. "[That] would bring the maximum federal dollars in the state, and it would guarantee all the people newly covered under Medicaid expansion the same protections anyone receiving Medicaid now gets." [...]
Blog
Arise 2020: End Alabama’s state grocery tax and protect school funding
The Bible says that “to everything there is a season.” And we’re increasingly optimistic that the season has finally arrived for real tax reform in Alabama. For more than a decade, Alabama Arise has worked to end the state’s 4% sales tax on groceries. It’s a regressive, punitive tax that costs struggling Alabamians the equivalent [...]
Blog
Arise 2020: Expand Medicaid to save lives and make Alabama healthier
Happy anniversary – not! 2020 marks the 10th year of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, but not in Alabama. We’re one of just 14 states that have rejected federal funding to extend affordable health coverage to adults with low incomes. And soon, Kansas may cut that number to 13. The stakes have only [...]
Blog
Arise 2020: Fight harmful proposals to cut Medicaid, SNAP and TANF
Safety net programs are designed to protect us when times get tough. But a recent wave of legislative and administrative attacks to those programs has threatened vital food and health assistance for millions of families across Alabama and the nation. The stakes are high for people who struggle to make ends meet. Medicaid is a [...]